Gujarat man tries to pawn kin's jewels to help the poor

RAJKOT: A Gujarat sarpanch with a heart of gold tried to mortgage his wife and mother's jewellery to feed his out-of-work fellow villagers before relatives and friends stepped in with a loan of Rs 4 lakh that he has since been using to provide for all families hit by the lockdown.
Danabhai Sidha of Taveda village, 6km from Mahuva town in Bhavnagar district, had been spending sleepless nights worrying about what would happen to the daily-wage workers and their families when he hit upon the desperate idea to pawn his family gold.
A few days ago, emotions boiled over at Danabhai's house after he announced his decision even as his wife and mother pleaded with him to change his mind. It wasn't until relatives and friends offered to loan him the cash he needed that the sarpanch relented.
"Being the sarpanch, I could not bear to see the pain and suffering of my people. I decided to provide them some relief, but didn't have the cash to do so. Mortgaging my wife and mother's ornaments with a bank appeared to be the only way out," Danabhai told TOI over phone.
"I am relieved that my relatives and friends not only helped me out, but have also told me that I can return the Rs 4 lakh whenever it's convenient for me."
Armed with oodles of goodwill and a charity kitty, Danabhai purchased food grain and edible oil that he has been distributing among the needy since Saturday. He has also been giving out between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000 to any family in need of cash, villagers said.
Taveda has a population of around 3,500, comprising mostly families of daily-wage workers employed by onion dehydrating units and farms in Mahuva, the largest producer of onions in the state. All of them have been out of work for around a fortnight.
Danabhai is slightly better off, owning around 20 bighas of farmland in the village. "Last season, I grew cotton and groundnut, but the yield was not very good. This time, I have sowed white onions. I will repay the loan in instalments," he said.